Change
by thecrooktomyassassin
Summary: Alternative take on '3x18' and onward.


The headquarters of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI were almost empty, but Jennifer Jareau still looked at the hallway-balcony outside of the window on her office to make sure no one was passing by. She picked up the phone and started typing the all-too familiar phone number. The paper she held in her hands felt way too heavy for just two pages. But these two pages just changed her entire life. And not just hers.

Beep. Beep. Beep _. No answer_.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice message system. The number you are calling is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 9."

She took a deep breath.

He would be driving home or he would already be asleep.

But JJ needed to do it. She needed to leave that voice message because she _knew_ that in the next 10 minutes she would be way too scared to do it.

"Hey, it's me. I know you're either on your way home or already asleep but… we have to talk. I know how you don't like cryptic messages like this, so I'm just going to say it." She took a deep breath. One sentence and their entire lives would change. "I'm pregnant."

The beeping sound which indicated that the voice message had ended echoed in her ear.

She put the phone down and looked at the paper in front of her again. _Pregnant_. She was pregnant and now Spencer had that huge revelation just sitting on his voicemail.

Spencer woke up at his normal time, 4.55 A.M. His early rising gave him both ample time to read a book and make his coffee and get ready at his own speed. He saw the notification on his phone as he was drinking his coffee, his eyebrows furrowing and concern washing over him at a voice message left unopened for so many hours. He opened it and immediately stilled as he heard JJ's voice.

" _Hey, it's me. I know you're either on your way home or already asleep but… we have to talk. I know how you don't like cryptic messages like this, so I'm just going to say it."_ Every nerve on Spencer's body was on overdrive and the hairs on the back of his neck had stood at the tone of the blonde's voice. _"I'm pregnant."_

And just like that the coffee cup had slipped from his hands, falling onto the tiled floor and smashing into tiny bits; coffee staining the floor. JJ. Pregnant. His brain stopped for a moment. His brain of IQ 187 actually stopped thinking and working properly as he heard the woman he loved so much utter those foreign words.

He slowly tried to wrap his head around it. But how could he? How could he, even with an intelligence well above average, fully understand the predicament he had found himself into. A baby. Their baby. A baby half-JJ and half-Spencer. The thought both terrified him, as well as brought him immense joy. But he was still at home… Not home. His apartment. He was sitting in that chair on his kitchen table for god knows how long and the floor still needed to be cleaned before he left for work.

Screw the floor. Screw the coffee and the broken mug. He practically jolted up, grabbing his messenger bag from the sofa and his car and home keys from their spot on the coffee table. He was ready to walk out the door when he heard the ringing of his cellphone from the kitchen table, where he had left it. Spencer ran back inside, hoping that it was JJ who was calling him.

But it was Hotch who was calling him and Spencer's stomach sunk as he realized that his talk with JJ would have to be delayed. He was informed that they would be flying to Roanoke, Virginia and JJ would be staying in Quantico with Penelope. Spencer was half-expecting all of this to happen and he wondered whether Hotch was informed about JJ's pregnancy.

As he reached the jet and practically melted to the comfortable chair. He felt his mind racing, the gearwheels on his brain moving and rotating as Morgan put his hand on his shoulder, a gesture that caused him to almost jump up from his seat.

"Woah, easy pretty boy, what's up with you?" Morgan asked him as he managed to pass in front of him to take his own seat before the jet took off. "Didn't get enough sleep last night?" His tone was teasing but Spencer wanted nothing but to be left alone with his thoughts. JJ not joining the team for that particular case was both a curse and a blessing. He hated being so far away from her and especially with everything that was currently happening… but on the other side, it gave him enough time to think everything through without making it seem like he was bailing on JJ.

"I'm fine, Morgan. Just tired." He mumbled and closed his eyes again, seeing JJ's blue ones appear in the darkness of his closed lids and Spencer welcomed the dreams that helped him take a break from the reality, until he was woken up by Morgan so they would brief before they landed.

The case went by… agonizingly slow to say the least. He only managed to send JJ a text, telling her that they would talk as soon as they got back. But they didn't. Off they went from Roanoke to New York City and Spencer and JJ still hadn't talked.

So it was safe to say that when he saw JJ on the lobby of their hotel as they walked inside, he was a little startled. His bag fell on the floor, much like that coffee mug which still was lying broken on his apartment back in D.C. He felt the teams' eyes on him and JJ who had mirrored his both shocked and thrilled expression. He began walking towards JJ and wrapped her in the tightest hug, holding onto her as tightly as he could. He felt the moisture on his shoulder and the palpitation of JJ's chest against his own. JJ was finally letting out all of the anguish that was bubbling up for the past few days.

Their sweet embrace was interrupted by Hotch who broke whatever spell they were under by asking: "Reid, JJ, is there anything we have to know?" He obviously didn't want to ruin whatever was happening between the two but whatever was going on was either really good or really bad. Spencer interlaced his and JJ's fingers as tightly as he could and smiled, looking at JJ to see if she was the one who wanted to break the news.

"I'm pregnant." She said then and from Emily's wide smile, Morgan's wide eyes, David's proud 'dad smile' to Hotch's even shocked look they realized that the profilers had been surprised by their news. They knew about their relationship almost since the beginning of it, almost two years before, but them being parents was a big and happy surprise to anyone.

"Pretty boy, you sly-!" Morgan said as he pulled Spencer in for a hug and Emily and Hotch proceeded to do the same with JJ who was now crying again, but Spencer suspected it wasn't sad tears.

"Reid, this is amazing, congratulations!" Emily told her friend with a smile and gave him a sweet hug. Hotch was excited too, a rare smile breaking out on his face at the sight of his two teammates. When they had first joined the bureau he and Gideon did have high hopes for these two in regards of their jobs but this… Speaking of Gideon… He had a call to make when he came back home.

"Reid, Gideon would be really proud of you." Spencer smiled at that, pretending that his own eyes didn't well up with fresh tears.

"Thank you Hotch… this means a lot." As everyone went upstairs to leave their bags and head to the precinct, JJ and Spencer were left alone on his room.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer immediately, JJ. I was asleep and in the morning I heard the voice message and I was about to leave and Hotch called and-." JJ put her hand above Spencer's , making his stop his rambling.

"It's okay, I'm not upset, Spence." She told him with a smile. "But… are you… okay with this?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Am I okay with this? I'm more than okay with this, JJ." Spencer said; his voice firm and decisive. "I am so happy… You have no idea how scared but happy I am."

"I do. The moment I got the blood test results back… I lost the ground beneath my feet. With all of your past, I didn't know if you would want a baby. We both work almost every day and a little baby… who would take care of it?"

"JJ, other agents have children too. And don't forget that the team is like a family to us; they will do anything in their power to help. The future is ahead and we have… how many months?"

"I'm almost 6 weeks along. A little over two months." She said with a small smile. "The doctor told me that we can hear the heartbeat if we go for an ultrasound." Spencer smiled too, a small tear falling down his eye; not from sadness but from the happiness that small announcement gave him. A heartbeat. A real little baby growing inside JJ's stomach. Their baby.

"We should. To check if the baby is okay. I read that the embryo is now about the size of a raisin and that the brain begins to divide into 5 parts." JJ gave him a look. "I had some time on the previous case and picked up some pregnancy books. At least for the four first months."

JJ laughed. Did she really expect Spencer not to freak out and read everything he could about pregnancy? No. And she was in fact really grateful that he had taken the time and was so eager to learn more about her condition.

"Then you must have learned about how many times I throw up and I have these headaches… It's not all fun and easy." Spencer reached for his messenger bag and opened it, producing a package of Saltines.

"I picked up a box on the way to the jet. I thought we were coming home and I thought I could-." JJ cut him off, pulling him to her and kissing him soundly. She was so grateful for him and slowly her fear was disappearing.

The hotel phone rang then, causing them to break apart. JJ reached for it first. "Yeah, we're settled. We'll be right down. We're needed. We have to get to the station."

"Oh, okay." Spencer said and grabbed his bag, swinging it on his shoulder. JJ grabbed her own, not before getting the Saltines that were just what she needed after her short but tiring flight there. And she had a feeling the case was going to be a long one. But it was all worth it as she looked at the man next to her; the man who she had loved for so long, the father of her child… _her everything_.


End file.
